Underneath
by Salark
Summary: We all assume we know what is hidden under Sheik's cowl, but what if it was something different then we thought? Link x Sheik Sheik's POV – Companion fic to Beneath The Mask


**A/N:** Just something I thought up that I thought was a little different and decided to type it up.

**Disclaimer:** All characters are owned by Nintendo, and definetly not by me.

**Warnings:** LinkxSheik, malexmale aka. Two guys falling in love.

**Sheik is a separate character then Zelda and he is **_**male**_**. I made up some stuff about his past and all that just for the sake of this one-shot. Also, Link _does not_ go back in time after defeating Ganon.**

**Summary:** We all assume we know what lies under Sheik's cowl, but what if it was something different then we thought?

Please no flames.

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**Sheik's P.O.V**

_Fire danced all around as I looked around frantically for a way to escape, or my mother Impaz. Terror bloomed as I saw neither but a man from the raiding village as he rushed towards me. I was trapped between him and three walls of fire as the house I was in was burning to the ground. Behind him there was a gap in the flames that was slowly closing. I watched in fear as my chance to escape slowly disappeared. _

_He grinned sadistically as he advanced on me, reaching out for me. I was scared; I had just had my third, or maybe it was my fourth birthday less than a month ago. I had been receiving basic weapons training with Impaz but I had no weapons on me and had no chance against a grown man. _

_I couldn't move, the flames licked at me from behind and from my side. He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me forward and I winced in fear and in pain at his harsh grip, though I did not cry out._

_We had moved to this village because we thought it would have been safe, Hyrulean Civil War_** (1)**_ raged around us, but Sheikah had remained neutral and picked no sides to fight against or with so I couldn't understand why these people were attacking my home. Power had strange effects on people, and I watched as Hylians, Gorons, Gerudo, Zoras, and even some bands of Sheikah slaughter each other all in the name of power. For the fabled triforce._

_The man pulled me up, and I could see the fire dance of the blade he held in his hand. I stared, entranced at the colours as they glimmered and reflected off the knifes silver side. He brought it closer to my face, and murmured, "Die Sheikah filth, you'll never get your hands of the triforce."_

_It was so quite that I barley heard him over the cackling of the flames. Fear brewed inside me, and I thought I was going to die when I heard an outraged scream._

"_Get your hands off him you filthy bastard!" He barely had time to react. I assumed he went to stab me, when my mother attacked him first. As her blade sliced him, his hand jerked downward, slicing my face and cutting my lip. _

_I remembered the blood, the fear and the pain but I didn't remember much of what happened afterwards, but Impaz leading me out of the house and to safety._

I studied my reflection in the mirror as I thought of memories of so long ago. The Hyrulean Civil War ended about a year after that, and Hyrule had seven long years of peace before the Imprisoning War began **(2)**. It would take seven long years for Link, the Hero of Time to vanquish the Ganon, and establish peace across the lands of Hyrule once again.

I was now nineteen and the boy who had cowered from the man with the knife was long gone, replaced by a man, a Sheikah warrior who had aided the Great Hero on his journey. Hyrule had been in peace now for two years, and the Hero of Time's twentieth birthday was fast approaching.

I scowled at my reflection and pulled my cowl back up to hide my face as I finished getting ready to meet Link down at the stables to go for a ride. He had asked me earlier, saying Epona was dying to go out for a run and that he didn't want to have to go alone. So I agreed.

He smiled in greeting as I approached him, his trademark boyish grin in place, and I felt as him my stomach was doing summersaults. Did I fail to mention that during some point during Ganon's ruling I had fallen helplessly and hopelessly in love with him?

"Sheik," He said as he approached me.

And I nodded in greeting back to him. "Where did you want to ride to today?"

I asked him as we fell into step beside each other on the way to the stables.

"I wanted to visit the lake." He answered and I raised one fine golden eye brow at his choice destination.

"That's quite a hike away, Link." I said as he brushed his shoulder against mine. The sensation made me shudder and I took a deep breath before I could continue. "We'd never make it there and back in just one day."

If possible, his grin grew wider. "Ah," he said as we rounded the corner and entered the stable. "That's why we'll be spending the night."

In front of me there were two saddled horses, one my own buckskin mare, Jiro, and another horse, a chestnut mare that went by the name of Nazuil. Beside them was a very familiar horse and she had a large pack securely fastened to her back.

"You're using Epona as a pack horse?" I asked as I walked over to my horse and the reins from hitching rail she was tethered to.

Link laughed. "She the only horse I can trust who can keep up and will follow me where ever I go."

I had to agree with Link on that one, Epona did follow Link where ever he went.

We mounted our horses and set off away from the castle, making small chat and joking along the way. We arrived at the lake sometime around dusk and set up our camp before making a fire and settling down for the night.

I was sitting down on the rocks by the entrance to the Zora's Domain when Link approached me after settling Epona for the night. He had to get back into her good books because she was insulted, well that's how she appeared to act, that Link dared to ride another horse besides for her.

I had one foot in the water, my shoes off and resting beside me. He sat down beside me quietly and watched the ripples I caused as I moved my foot back and forth through the calm blue water.

"It's like having a possessive girlfriend who doesn't like when you talk to your female co-workers." He shook his head, wavy blond hair swayed with the action. "Except that she can't be reasoned with."

I smiled at Link's words though it was hidden my cowl.

"It's a beautiful night." He commented as he shifted closer. He was right, the night was quite beautiful. The sky was clear and the moon full. The lake was smooth and clear leaving the reflection of the moon pure and untouched, so different then how it used to look when the lake was empty.

I stiffened slightly when I felt his arm brush against mine. "It is, Hero." I replied as I focused on watching the horses graze on the shore of the lake a few feet away. "So different than before."

"Hmm." He answered, "I remember coming out of that Temple, and you were one of the first things I saw." He smiled.

"I remember you took a long time. I was worried." I said with a shrug as I felt Link's gaze shift from the lake to rest on my cowl hidden face.

"That temple was long and confusing ... but Sheik; do you really mean it when you said you worried about me?" He had half a smile on his face, but an air of uncertainty hovered him too.

I looked him in the eyes, so blue and honest. "Of course Link, you were the only hope Hyrule had."

His face fell, and I instantly wondered what I said to upset him.

"Is that all? Because I'm the Hero of Time?" I had never heard Link speak in such a hurt tone, so sad and depressed. He looked like a kicked puppy and I instantly regretted what I had said, but I didn't want to let anything slip...

"Of course not Link, you're so much more than that to me..." I blushed, not sure what to say after that. I felt Link shift, he was facing me now, and my blush increased as his hand rested on my leg just above my knee.

"How much more?" He whispered to me, huskily, as I had to keep myself from falling off the rocks and into the water.

"A-alot." I stuttered. I couldn't remember the last time I had stuttered.

Link's voice had caught me off guard, "Show me your face." It was a plea as he leaned closer to me.

"_Sheik, why do you always hide your face behind that mask?" Hero asked me as we were sitting outside of the castle as we waited for Zelda so we could escort her down to Castle Town Market._

"_It's a cowl." I corrected before I answered his question, "And it's Sheikah tradition." Though I knew there was more than that one reason._

"_But, who can see your face then?" I fiddled with a piece of grass that I held in my hands. "Or do you just always hide it?" _

"_Family and lovers." I answered as I pulled the piece of grass apart and studied them._

"_Oh..."_

"My face?" I forced out, feeling my throat tighten. Nobody had seen my face in ... almost twelve years if you didn't count my mother, Impa and Zelda. I always ate separately, or when people weren't looking ... "I don't know," My hand involuntarily reached up to grip my cowl uncertainly.

"Sheik," he spoke gently, his hand that used to be on my knee was now resting on my hip. "Please..."

I could feel the heat radiating where Links hands were touching me, and I could feel his warm breath brush against my face as he spoke. His other hand came to rest gently on my cheek and I tensed, fearing he was going to pull down my cowl but he didn't. He just let his hand rest against my face. I flushed again, heat burning were Link was touching me.

I reached up and put my hand on his. He was staring at me intently, and I could barley breath under the intensity of his gaze, let alone think. I slowly moved my hand down, pulling his hand along with mine which, in turn, pulled down my cowl to reveal my face.

It was his intake of breath, so sharp, that knocked some sense into me. I had just revealed my face, my scarred, defective face to one of the most beautiful people in the entire world. I froze, eyes wide.

I still remembered the day Impaz told me it would forever scar, and my left side of my lip would forever stay in a downward scowl because the nerve had been cut and my cheek would have the deep grove from where the knife cut. Our village was on fire, and people where dying. Red potion was limited so my wound had to heal naturally so the little bit of potion let could be used to save other people.

I turned my face away from him and pushed myself off the rocks onto the shore. My sudden movement spooked the horses and they took off across to the other side of the lake. The thundering of their hooves as they galloped drowned out the sounds of the crickets and other animals who called the place around the lake home. He wrapped his hand around my wrist, and held firm. I stopped, I didn't struggle. I was humiliated, and horrified with what I had done.

"Link..." I muttered as I pulled on my wrist to make him let go.

He was on the shore beside me in seconds, and he slowly turned me around to face him. When I didn't meet his eyes I felt one of his hand gently tilt my chin up so I would look at me. I did, and slowly, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

I was shocked, but it only took me a millisecond to respond. His arms wrapped around my waist pulling me close to him, and I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips moved gently on mine, meshed perfectly together despite the permanent scowl on my face.

They were warm around mine, and all I could focus on was the feeling of his lips moving with mine, in time with mine. Soft, slow and gentle, it was better than any other experience I had felt in my life.

I wasn't thinking anything beyond how amazing it felt, and how I never wanted it to end but it did.

Link slowly pulled away from me, one arm let go of my waist and he brought his hand up to gently rest on my cheek again. His thumb slid smoothly over the scar and rested on my lips and I blushed.

"Is this why you hid your face?" He asked as I felt his one arm around me tighten.

"Part of." I answered, and I felt the chuckle reverberate through his chest to echo through mine.

"Why?" He whispered as he rested his forehead against mine.

I have never been this intimate with someone before...but, with Link and I it felt natural.

"I...I guess I was embarrassed." I answered, half honest. My best friends were great, beautiful Hero of Time, and the radiant Princess of Hyrule and I was just a lowly Sheikah, scarred and deformed.

"Don't be." He answered as he placed a tender kiss against my brow. "You don't understand how long I wanted to do this, Sheik."

When I didn't answer he spoke again, "You're beautiful Sheik, not only on the outside, but on the inside too. " He brushed his thumb over the scars again. "These are nothing," he placed a kiss against the scar as I blushed. "Please, don't hide your face anymore, Sheik."

I pulled away and looked at him. "It's hard not to, but it is tradition too." He didn't look convinced as I looked into his blue eyes.

"I did some research." He said, as he walked back down to the water to sit on the rocks again. I followed, sitting beside. I forced a blush down as he shifted closer to me.

"On what?" Curiosity burned at me as he sat silent for a few seconds.

"Sheikah Culture." He answered as he looked out over the lake.

"Oh..." I followed his gaze and looked out at the lake too and watched as a family of ducks swam across the water.

"Sheikah warriors used to wear cowls to separate themselves from other people so they could fight without having ties to people. Death wouldn't matter to them as much if they had no one, right?" He looked at me and I nodded slowly. "With a cowl they had no emotions, they were stoic and strong."

I nodded again, feeling shame well up inside me that I failed to meet my people expectations. Not only had I shown emotions, I fell in love. Some stoic Sheikah warrior I was.

"We don't have to fight anymore, Sheik." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around me. I could fell his warmth as it enveloped me and I shuddered slightly at the feel of his breath on my bare neck. "Hyrule is at peace again." He kissed me gently, and pulled away way too soon for my liking. "We can be at peace."

Much of my life was spent training, and preparing for war, and protecting the Royal Family. With the threat to them gone much of my time was committed to helping the princess, running errands, delivering messages and assisting her when she needed help.

"I know." I answered as I felt the a cool breeze wash over my face and I sighed.

"Will you keep it off then?" Link asked me as he watched me. I struggled to find an answer in myself. Link, the Hero of Time found my face acceptable enough, so would others? Link watched me patiently as I battle my inner battle with myself. I looked at him and I found my answer as he smiled at me.

"Yes." I nodded to emphasize my words. "I'll try, I promise."

The next thing I knew was he was kissing me, with more passion and love then I had ever felt before. His lips seared as they made contact with mine and I wrapped one of my arms tightly around his neck, the other wrapped around his back. He had one arm tightly around my waist and the other one was resting gently on one of my thighs. He leaned forward slightly, his tongue brushed gently against my lip and I eagerly opened my mouth for him.

Our tongues clashed and my heart soared as I slowly let Link take control of the kiss while taking deep steady breaths through my nose to prevent me from passing out. I didn't know how much time had passed since we first started kissing but slowly we broke the kiss off gently. I looked at Link and he smiled at me.

I smiled back.

**End**

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**Hyrulean Civil War (1) – Changed how long the time the war took place so I could fit this into the story and not make the characters too old. :) all info on the war was taken of Wikipedia**

**Imprisoning War (2) – was the seven years Ganandorf ruled Hyrule. Also changed the time between the two wars to make everything fit. Hope nobody minds. all info on the war was taken of Wikipedia **

**So, as I said before, this was just something I thought up and it was eating at me so I decided to write it. I haven't written in awhile so I hope it didn't turn out to bad.**

**Please leave a review! All reviews are welcomed, but please no flames. Thank-you to those who review! They really do mean a lot to me.**

**I was also thinking of maybe trying this in Link's p.o.v, let me know if I should.**

**EDIT: I will be doing this in Link's P.O.V too, and it will be called Underneath The Mask, I think ... tittle may change but I hope you enjoy that too when I get around to posting it :)**

**EDIT 2: Link's POV is posted, it's called Beneath The Mask, check it out if you like :)**


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